Turkish soldiers fire a military cannon to mark the fasting break time on June 6, 2016 at the Blue mosque square in Istanbul, during the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. More than a billion Muslims observed the start of Ramadan on May 6 but in the besieged cities of Syria and Iraq residents struggled to mark the holy month. Marking the divine revelation received by Prophet Mohammed, the month sees Muslim faithful abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex from dawn to dusk. They break the fast with a meal known as iftar and before dawn have a second opportunity to eat and drink during suhur. The month is followed by the Eid al-Fitr festival.